David Band David Band was no chromophobe. In fact colour was the constant that drove his art practice for more than twenty years. Colour vivid and physical led the conversation with shape and form across a range of subjects from still life to pure abstraction. Band s influences were not surprisingly just as diverse as his subjects, spanning 1950 s design, French still life painting, American abstract expressionism and jazz. He spoke of ideas kicking around for some time before taking up the offer of bringing them to life. Band s adherence to a formal methodology can be traced to his training at the acclaimed Glasgow School of Art, followed by further study at the Royal College of Art in London. The Glaswegian curriculum prioritised drawing and the persistence of this early training can be found in Band s experimental works using string and spirographs as drawing tools and subjects. Before moving to Australia in 1986, Band combined his art practice with running a successful design studio (he was commissioned in the early 1980 s to make a series of drawings and paintings for albums by Spandau Ballet). Thereafter Band continued to balance these two disciplines; his design work liberated him from an attachment to a particular medium in his art making (his later work saw him move from two dimensions into three) and his design practice was constantly enriched by his striving towards simplicity. Band s artworks are held in numerous private and public collections, nationally and internationally, including the National Gallery of Australia, The Art Institute of Chicago, Artbank, the National Gallery of Victoria, ANZ Private Bank and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. biography 1959 2011 Born in glasgow education 1981 1983 Studied at Royal College of Art, london 1977 1981 Studied at Glasgow School of Art, glasgow
solo exhibitions 2014 Milestones, Jan Murphy Gallery, brisbane Milestones, Olsen Irwin Gallery, sydney 2013 The World is a Good Colour, Block Projects, 2011 Miles Mode, Block Projects, 2010 Acid Tongue, Block Projects, Happiness Paintings, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney 2009 Small Hours, Jan Murphy Gallery, brisbane Same Difference, Australian Galleries, 2008 Hill Smith Gallery, art fair, Songs for Night and Day, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney Imbibe with Me, Australian Galleries, 2007 New Paintings, Jan Murphy Gallery, brisbane In Line, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney Seven Roses, Hill Smith Fine Art Gallery, adelaide 2006 Bloom, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney Recent Paper Work, Australian Galleries, 2005 Changing Seasons, Australian Galleries, Monotypes, Jill George Gallery, london Love Poems, Stonington Stables Museum of Art, 2004 Space, Space Furniture, Deep Song, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney Hill Smith Fine Art, adelaide 2003 Jan Murphy Gallery, brisbane After the Rain, Australian Galleries, The Field of Play, McGrath Galleries, new york 2002 Waiting for Butterflies, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney In a Silent Way, McGrath Galleries, new york 2001 Nearest of You, Jan Murphy Gallery, brisbane The Last Trane, Australian Galleries, 2000 Monk, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney Spillage, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney 1999 Over the Rooftop, Smith & Stoneley, brisbane Tenplates, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney 1998 Tenplates, Australian Galleries,
solo exhibitions (contd) 1998 Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Olsen Carr Galleries, sydney Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Australian Galleries, Pillar to Post, Mackintosh Museum, Glasgow School of Art, glasgow 1996 All Imperfect Things, Australian Galleries, 1995 Bird and Miles, Olsen Carr Galleries, sydney 1994 Stories of me, Australian Galleries, Connell and Band, Australian Galleries, 1992 Works on felt, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, london Home and Away, Australian Galleries, 1991 Works on felt, Australian Galleries, Sculptures and Prints, Rex Irwin Art Dealer, sydney 1989 A Parcel of Rouges, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, london A Parcel of Rouges, Rex Irwin Art Dealer, sydney 1988 Paintings and Drawings, Thumb Gallery, london 1987 Paintings and Drawings, Reconnaissance Gallery, 1986 Drawings, Thumb Gallery, london David Band exhibition and installation, Liberty Gallery, london 1985 Paintings, Brentford Watermans Art Centre, london 1984 Lester and Friends, L Escargot, london group exhibitions 2011 Sound + Vision, Hill Smith Gallery, adelaide 2010 Jan Murphy Gallery, art fair, Bits & Bob, Block Projects, 2008 2 x 2 Group Exhibition, Tim Olsen Gallery Annex, sydney 2007 Views on Abstraction, Hill Smith Gallery, adelaide Small Pleasures: Painting and Sculpture, Australian Galleries, Stock show, Australian Galleries, In Line, collaborative exhibition with Fraser Taylor, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney In Line, collaborative exhibition with Fraser Taylor, Glasgow Art Club, glasgow
group exhibitions (contd) 2006 Group exhibition, Australian Galleries, New Year Group Exhibition, Australian Galleries, Stock show, Australian Galleries, 50 th Anniversary Exhibition, Australian Galleries, Summer stock show, Australian Galleries, 2005 Jan Murphy 10 th Anniversary Exhibition, Jan Murphy Gallery, brisbane Contemporary Works on Paper, Australian Galleries, 2004 The Australian Print Workshop Archive 2, National Gallery of Australia, canberra Gasworks Artists, Gasworks, 2003 Alchemy, Jan Murphy Gallery, brisbane Alchemy, Tim Olsen Gallery, sydney Wallpaper, Australian Galleries, Nicola Townsend, tokyo Gasworks Artists, Gasworks, 2002 Affordable Artfair, McGrath Galleries, new york Gasworks Artists, Gasworks, 2001 Nicola Townsend, tokyo 2000 Exquisite Corpse, Bendigo Art Gallery, victoria Australian Contemporary Arts Fair, Australian Galleries, Gasworks Artists, Gasworks Art Park, Fifteen +, Gasworks Art Park, 1999 Pleasure, Australian Galleries Works on Paper, 40 Works by Four Scots, Australian Galleries Works on Paper, Prints, Australian Galleries, Mornington Art Prize, Mornington Peninsular Gallery, victoria 1998 Pillar to Post, Mackintosh Museum, Glasgow School of Art, glasgow Australian Contemporary Arts Fair, Australian Galleries,
1997 Geelong Print Prize, Geelong Art Gallery, victoria Knock Knock, Australian Galleries, Gasworks at Linden Melbourne, Linden Art Centre, Painting is Not Dead, Olsen Carr Gallery, sydney 1996 Australian Contemporary Arts Fair, Australian Galleries, 1994 Lighthouse Art Foundation, Australian Contemporary Arts Fair, Rex Irwin & Australian Galleries, 1993 On the Other Hand, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, sydney Five Artists, Rex Irwin Gallery, sydney 1992 Sculpture, Australian Galleries, Sight Regained, Fred Hollows Foundation, Westpac Gallery, 1990 International Contemporary Art Fair, los angeles 1988 New British Drawing, Thumb Gallery, london Art Relief for Bangladesh, london International Contemporary Art Fair, los angeles 1987 Drawing Exhibition, Reconnaissance Gallery, 1986 The Cloth, Liberty Gallery, london 1985 Private Collection of Henri Geldzhaler, The Century Club, new york Bath Contemporary Art Fair, bath The Cloth, Oliver & Pink, london London in Florence, italy 1984 The Cloth, Compass Gallery & touring to Aberdeen and Dundee, london International Contemporary Art Fair, london London in Tokyo, tokyo 1983 The Olympic Show, Thumb Gallery, london The Music Show, Thumb Gallery, london Bath Contemporary Art Fair, bath 1982 Beneath the Cloth, Royal College of Art, London
prizes and awards 1998 Australian Writers and Art Directors Award for Tenplates etchings 1994 Colle Trust: Australian Print Workshop funding award for Jazz monotype series commissions 2009 Crown Metropol, 2008 Crown Towers, 2002 Melbourne Grand Prix Australand, 2000 Hecker Phelan, 1999 ANZ Private Bank, 1997 Van Haandels, Prince of Wales Hotel, 1996 Van Haandels, Il Fornaio restaurant, Crown Casino, Simon Goh, Chinta Ria restaurants, & sydney 1994 Maurice Terzini, The Melbourne Wine Room, 1989 Mushroom Records: Paul Kelly CD, 1984 George Patterson Bates, Vanity Fair Magazine Interview Magazine Nicole Miller, Saks and Liberty, london publications 2010 Lainey George, Creative Symbolism, Inside Out Magazine, November/December Artist and graphic guru David Band, The Daily Imprint, 3 February 2009 Ross Waterman, David Band on Beauty, Art World, Issue 7, February/March 2008 David Band, Selected Paintings 2006 2008, Published by David Band and Andrew Gunn 2005 Chris Beck, Abstract and addictive, The Age, 23 April collections Artbank ANZ Private Bank Chicago Art Institute, chicago
collections (contd) Henry Geldzhaler Collection, new york National Gallery of Australia, canberra National Gallery of Victoria, Victoria and Albert Museum, london Private and corporate collections nationally and internationally